Buildings burned. Police in riot gear shot tear gas into crowds. Traffic snarled as people fled the cities. Stalled motorists were dragged from their vehicles and beaten. Looters smashed business windows and stole everything not bolted down. Historical monuments were vandalized. Stores shelves were emptied of food. Doomsday survivalists retreated into their hidden bunkers, ignoring pleas from their neighbors.
City after city, country after country descended into chaos and violence as the Great Panic swept across the globe. Martial law was declared.
Caitlyn pressed her lips together as she watched the “news” images flash across the computer screen. They’d moved her to the small table and set a large laptop in front of her. Her arms ached from being bound. After securing her agreement she would cooperate, they’d untied her to move her into the dining room.
As soon as they did, she’d bolted for the door.
Stupid thing to do. She should have waited until they let their guard down a little more. Now they would keep her tied for longer and watch her like a hawk.
“Before the Ks came, we had peace. Then they invaded and caused famine, disease, crime, and war…” droned an announcer in a voice of gloom.
“Millions died. Millions more vanished. Entire cities decimated…” Images flashed of towns that looked as if they’d been destroyed by an earthquake.
A woman pushing a baby carriage strolled along a tree-lined suburban street. Looking like he was dressed for a Halloween party, a “Krinar,” wearing a black cape, his mouth dripping with blood, swooped out of a van and snatched the woman. The camera zoomed in on the abandoned, screaming infant. “An evil, vampiric alien race that requires human blood to survive…”
If this was supposed to “unbrainwash” her, it had the opposite effect. She recognized fake news when she saw it. Some of it was like watching a video game, while other scenes appeared cut from some sci-fi B movie, Attack of the Killer Aliens, or something. Had they forgotten she had lived through the Great Panic? Yes, there had been riots, looting, and food shortages, but nothing close to the severity of the videos. And the Ks hadn’t caused it. Some people had been frightened and had panicked. Opportunists and common criminals had crawled out of the gutter and fueled the chaos. The Ks hadn’t forced anybody to do anything. People chose their behavior.
Oh, I had no idea. How terrible. Perhaps she should pretend to be fooled by the fake news clips, but she doubted her captors would believe she’d been reeducated so quickly. The video played to people’s fears and worst instincts, but anybody with half a brain and a quarter of their memory would recognize the propaganda.
On the video, a K ship vaporized a tower in Century City near Los Angeles. That tower still stood—right next to the K Technologies building.
Seriously? They think I’m that stupid and naïve? Disbelief at the ridiculousness morphed into anger.
Grayson, Denton, and Mike were seated at the table. “It didn’t happen that way,” she said. “This is not the case at all.”
“Your memory of events has been compromised,” Grayson said.
“Your memory has been compromised,” she snapped. “That building in the video in Century City—it’s still there.”
“It was rebuilt.”
“No, it wasn’t. It’s always been there.”
Denton looked at Grayson. “She’s very resistant. She believes what she’s saying.”
Mike’s eyes narrowed. “You said you could help her.”
Grayson nodded. “I still can, but she’ll require pharmacological therapy.”
Her stomach clenched in alarm.
“Get my briefcase, please,” Grayson said to Denton.
When the younger man brought the attaché, Grayson withdrew a vial and a hypodermic, flicking the cap off with his thumb. He filled the syringe.
She didn’t know what the bottle contained or what effect the drug would have on her, but it wouldn’t be good. “Mike, how can you do this? We worked together. We’re friends.”
“It’s for your own good.”
“Roll up her sleeve.” Grayson nodded to Denton.
“No!” Bound to the chair, she tried to hop toward the door. “Help!” She screamed at the top of her lungs. Denton grabbed her arm and she flung herself sideways, toppling over and hitting the floor, landing on her arm. Pain shot through her.
Denton and Mike grabbed the chair and righted it. She bucked and jerked at the ties.
“Stop it. You’ll hurt yourself.”
And they weren’t going to hurt her? Shoot her full of some drug that would do who-knew-what? “Don’t d-d-do this, Mike. Please,” she begged.
Denton rolled up her sleeve. Caitlyn screamed and tried to bite him.
Grayson swabbed her arm with an alcohol wipe then cleared the air from the syringe. He leaned in—
The wall with the door imploded. One second it stood solid, and the next it crumbled to rubble. Arak sprang into the room, moving so fast he blurred. He flew over the table and slammed into Grayson. The hypo tumbled from his hand. She heard a snap, and then Grayson went limp and hit the floor. Denton grabbed the hypo and lunged.
“Watch out!” Caitlyn screamed.
Denton thrust the needle into Arak’s shoulder. Arak roared, swung out, and struck the younger man. He flew across the room, cracking the wall with his skull, breaking through the plaster. He slumped.
Mike scrambled over the rubble, running away as fast as his feet could take him. Traitorous coward. Once again, her former coworker had done nothing to save her. He believed the Ks were dangerous but had abandoned her without hesitation to save his own skin.
Arak yanked the needle from his shoulder. He undid her restraints, and she flung her arms around his neck, burying her face against his throat. Reaction set in, and she began to sob.
“I’ve got you. It’s okay. It’s okay.” He picked her up like she was a child and carried her into the living room.
Two Ks climbed over the pile of plaster, dragging Mike. “What do you want done with him?”
“Much as I would like to kill him, turn him over to the Earth authorities for kidnapping and assault. Get rid of these two.” Arak jerked his head at Grayson. “He’s dead. The other one might still be alive.”
Arak examined her. “Are you all right? Did they hurt you?”
“Mike shot me with a sedative, but it’s worn off. Are you okay?” She rubbed his shoulder where Denton had thrust the hypo into him. “He injected you.”
“It can’t hurt me. My chemistry has already neutralized it. I am going to have Ellet examine you.”
People outside gawked as he carried her from the apartment. She wondered where they’d all been when she was yelling her head off, but when they spoke among themselves it was in a language she didn’t recognize, and she realized the “reeducation center” was located in a new immigrant neighborhood. Still, that didn’t let them off the hook. They might not have understood the word “help,” but screaming was universal. No one had called the authorities.
She hid her face against Arak’s neck.
He placed her in his vehicle and got in. Palming her face, he kissed her. She melted into him, absorbing his strength.
“You scared me to death,” he said.
“How did you find me? I was afraid you’d think I ran out. Mike texted you.”
As his vehicle piloted itself, he pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. “I got his message. I knew right away you hadn’t sent it.” He hooked a finger under the necklace he’d given her. “I found you through this. The necklace has a tracer.”
“Oh.” She should be outraged he’d planted a tracking device on her, but she was too relieved and grateful to have been rescued. Who knew how long the Resistance would have held her or what their drugs would have done to her? The Resistance had committed the acts they accused the Ks of—abducting people and attempting mind control.
Caitlyn pressed her lips to Arak’s, kissing him with everything she had. He was a good man. Possessive, sometimes, overbearing, too, but he cared for her. Being kidnapped by those crazy people had reshuffled her priorities, her goals, her desires. Her future was with Arak. Period.
“Where are we headed, now?” she asked.
“I’m taking you to my condo. Ellet is meeting us. After she checks you out, we’ll leave for Krina.”
“We’re still going?”
“As long as Ellet clears you for travel. Don’t you want to go?” He arched an eyebrow.
“Now more than ever. Are the other offers still open?”
“Other offers?”
“To work with you at K Tech…and move in with you.”
“If that’s what you want.”
“What do you want?” she asked.
Amber eyes swirled with green. “For you to never leave my side. To become my charl, my lover. I want to hold you and care for you, and fuck you so often and so hard that neither of us can move.
“In about a year, my assignment here will be complete, and I’ll have to return to Krina. Will you come with me? As my charl? And know that to be my charl means forever.” A contrast to his previous passion, his face was expressionless, stony, his voice devoid of emotion. He could have been asking her which brand of soft drink she preferred.
To be his charl would require a huge sacrifice on her part. She would leave familiar surroundings for an alien world, possibly to never return. Krinar customs would replace human ones. Living with Arak wouldn’t always be easy. He was domineering, controlling, and infuriating. He’d tagged her with a tracker.
A muscle twitched in his jaw. Amber eyes flickered with uncertainty and longing.
He would also love her like no one else ever had or ever would. He could have taken any number of beautiful, accomplished women of his own species. Except, he desired her.
“Yes, I’ll be your charl,” she said and kissed him.
With a growl, he assumed control. Like she knew he would. Like she wanted.
The End
If you enjoyed Krinar’s Desire, please consider leaving a review. If you’re looking for another book to read, if you like dark science fiction romance, try my Breeder series. If you prefer sci-fi romance on the lighter side, check out Alien Mate or one of my Cy-Ops Sci-fi Romances. You can get one of the latter, Married to the Cyborg, for free: . To see the Krinar Kindle World books written by other authors, visit this site: .